Frostbitten Kisses
by Thatzly
Summary: "We're lost aren't we?" A simple excursion during a school ski trip turns for the worst, and soon Hikaru, Haruhi, and Kaoru and faced with a situation much more dangerous than just being lost.
1. Chapter 1

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**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN OHSHC**

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"Do you two know where we're going?" Haruhi asked. She stepped over yet another fallen branch and raised her head to glance up at the now paused twins. The nervous shifting of eyes towards each other confirmed her suspicions. From the start they probably had no idea where they were going.

She was stupid for trusting them and letting herself be led away from the field trip, but they had promised to finish her ski lessons from the last trip without the many eyes of customers on her. They even said they knew the perfect spot to practice. But now, they were in the middle of nowhere, and with each step they continued further away from the safety of civilization.

"Of course we do." The twins answered, continuing their trek, matching skis lugged over their shoulders.

"We're lost aren't we…?" Both twins stopped once more to glance back at Haruhi. Her petit form was shivering badly, and her legs looked as if they would fold underneath her at any moment from the strain of walking distance.

Yes, they were lost, but how could they tell her that?

Hikaru rubbed the back of his neck gingerly while Kaoru shifted from foot to foot, deep in thought. Neither made the first move to announce the bad news.

Identical amber eyes met. No, they wouldn't tell her yet.

The older twin sighed and gave another long scan of the area before freezing on one spot.

"Look! Kaoru, remember. We've been here before!" He beamed, running out into the open area. It was devoid of any signs of life. All that was seen was just a white blanket of snow, and even the trees surrounding it seemed to avoid the barren area.

"I think I do remember now…" Kaoru started, smiling. There was hope yet!

Both Haruhi and Kaoru shuffled forward. Their eyes wandered over the large expanse before them and the to Hikaru. He was in the middle of the area now doing a full circle to figure out which direction to go in next.

"_How many times do I have to tell you it's dangerous to go exploring in this area?" Their mother had hissed, her hard eyes turning on her two young sons.  
_

Kaoru froze mid-step and held out an arm, effectively stopping Haruhi as well.

"_There's a lake nearby that freezes over during the winter and becomes hidden by_ _snow."_

"Hikaru, stop, come back!" Kaoru yelled. There was a strange waver in his voice, one that made the other two members turn a concerned gaze on him. Hikaru's face contorted in confusion.

"But, we're almost there…" He yelled back. "It's across this area, I think."

Haruhi lay a tender hand on the young twins arm. Her mouth was turned down in a worried frown. "What's wrong, Kaoru?"

He ignored her and took a small step forward. "Just, walk back, Hikaru! Slowly, please don't run."

Hikaru, still confused, nodded and complied without thinking. The terror in Kaoru's voice was enough to trap any good comment he could think to retort with anyway.

"_A lot of stupid kids in the past thought it would be fun to play on the lake, and a lot of them got hurt or never came back. So, I want you two to stay in the main ski areas, okay?"_

A loud snap could be heard and all three teens became as still statues. The oldest of the three looked down at his feet. A small pool of water had begun to grow steadily underneath him. He didn't move, instead he stared down in fear. The wet, melting snow slowly revealed the hidden ice trap.

"Kaoru…" He gasped.

"Hikaru, move!"

Too late.

Hikaru's scream was short lived, muffled by frigid water as his head went under, submerging him in the lakes dark depths.

"Hikaru!" All rational thoughts went out the window. Kaoru ran forward, toward the new hole in the ice.

Hikaru, thankfully had resurfaced and was now flailing around in the water, sputtering and coughing. His gloved hands moved to secure himself, but to no avail, the ice continued to break around him every time it was touched.

"Kaoru, be careful! You'll fall in too!" Haruhi cried after him. Her small hands wrapped around his arms, pulling him backwards with all her strength. "We'll figure out how to get to him, but you can't risk your own life trying to-"

She wasn't prepared for the rough pull against her hold and was sent stumbling forwards, her arms reaching out to prevent her from falling face first into the snow. Her grip was met with air. Kaoru once again had begun to shuffle carefully forward on the ice.

"Kaoru! I can't…" Hikaru trailed off, his teeth were chattering so hard in his mouth it seemed to rattle his brain. Fear grew to panic, and soon Hikaru found himself trying to grab onto the floating ice chunks around himself to stay afloat, anything to keep himself from going under again.

Kaoru knelt down, and then began to crawl the rest of the distance to his now pale and shivering brother. At least Hikaru had managed to finally grip onto an edge now, but it was clear by how he was no longer trying to get out of the water that he was losing energy and body heat fast.

"It's cold…I can't…feel anything." Hikaru's words stumbled out of his mouth.

A gloved, extended hand reached out for Hikaru's. "You'll be okay, Hikaru, just grab onto my hand. I'll pull you out."

"I'm…going to…die…aren't I?"

"Don't be silly, Hikaru. Of course not." Kaoru's voice shook, but he managed to plaster a fake smile on his face for his terrified brother. Inside however, his head was spinning.

They were in the middle of nowhere, no one knew where they were, and Hikaru was about to die from hypothermia or drowning depending on which event would grab a hold of him first. This was worst than any choose your fate book he had ever read.

"I can't get a signal!" Haruhi's voice called, raising her now useless cell phone into the air.

He felt like he was going to cry. This was far too much at once, and the worst part was that they had recently learned about hypothermia and how the body reacts to the cold in school. Both boys, however had opted to doodling and passing notes instead of actually paying attention, but they had Haruhi. She had to know something useful.

Gasping, Hikaru lunged forward to grab onto the hand reached out for him. His grip was tight, but not tight enough to hang on for long. Before his hand could slip however, Kaoru grabbed Hikaru's arm with his free hand.

"Tell him to kick, Kaoru! It'll make puling him out easier!" Haruhi's voice floated over from the trees.

Thank god she always paid attention in class.

"Hikaru, kick while I pull, okay?" Hikaru didn't respond, instead his head lolled until it lay on the ice. "Hikaru! No, you have to help me. I can't do this on my own, please, please, stay with me!"

A weak nod came from the drenched twin, but his head didn't lift. His hand in Kaoru's became slack and he sank a little further into the frigid water.

Panic rose within Kaoru. He pulled, harder and harder, until Hikaru's body slowly began to surface inch by inch. Still, half of Hikaru's body remained submerged. Kaoru's breath came in short pants, his eyes dilating with fear.

_He can't die. He can't!_

"Hikaru, please hold on." He was begging now. Tears sprang forth in his eyes and he pulled harder, finally Hikaru's legs slid out of the water.

"I'm…holding…" The slack boy mumbled.

"Don't stand up, Kaoru! You need to roll away from the ice first." Haruhi's voice came once again from the edge of the lake.

"Hikaru." Kaoru spoke.

The boy in question turned half-lidded eyes on his twin, but didn't move. He too had heard Haruhi, but his body was shaking too badly to move properly. He rocked himself forward, and then backwards, trying to get momentum until eventually he rolled forward once, onto his back. He stopped, took in a deep breath and tried again but to no avail. There wasn't enough strength in his body to continue on.

"I can't stand, Hikaru. I have to pull you, okay?" Hikaru gave a weak nod and raised a numb arm over his head toward his brother.

Kaoru slowly crawled backwards, pulling Hikaru along with each inch he went back. Finally, they reached an area he deemed safe and pushed himself up to stand, dragging a pale Hikaru up with him into slumped stance.

Hikaru was cold, and pale, but otherwise fine externally. Internally was another story. He still was at risk for hypothermia, in fact, it was quite certain by looking at him that he was already suffering its effects.

"I'm warmer now." The drenched boy slurred.

Kaoru smiled, relief washing over him. "That's great, Hikaru."

Haruhi's eyes scanned over his body. His shivering was so bad one could mistake it for a seizure.

No, he wasn't getting better, he was getting worse.

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**Jeez, I need to stop churning out so many fics at once. Okay, this will probably be a two-shot. As always, tell me what you think, comment, suggestions, critiques. This is un-beta'd so I expect mistakes, sorry. **


	2. Chapter 2

******Disclaimer: I do not own OHSHC it belongs to Bisco Hatori

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The soft glow of the sun had long ago begun to disappear behind the protection of the trees. This made the cold even harsher as the darkness closed in, encasing the teen trio in the perfect recipe for disaster. It had already claimed one, now it tried to move on to its next two victims.

Kaoru shivered and bounced Hikaru further up onto his back. By now people should have realized they were missing and hopefully they had sent some help, because he didn't know how long they could hold out for. Hikaru, unable to move his frozen limbs properly, had begun to grow drowsy, and Haruhi looked like a walking icicle the way her clothes had begun to crystallize with snow. He probably looked much the same.

"Stay awake Hikaru," Haruhi mumbled for what felt like the hundredth time. Every time he heard it, it was a constant reminder that his brother was on the brink of death.

Kaoru bounced Hikaru more violently this time. "Hikaru, you need to stay awake."

Hikaru's only answer was to mumble incoherent nonsense into his brother's ear. Long ago, he had entered into what Haruhi called 'stage 2 hypothermia', where his shaking had become so uncontrollable he had trouble standing, let alone walking, and slowly he slipped further away from them mentally.

Currently they were trying to retrace their footsteps in the snow, but as a harsh trick, the mischievous winds had blown the snow around, hiding them. It was hell, one that he and his brother had created.

"Kaoru, it's getting dark. We can't keep moving like this." Haruhi hugged herself, rubbing her chilled arms. Surprisingly, she found herself wanting to laugh. They were going to die out here. This was not how she planned her death. Amber eyes looked back at her, concerned, apparently she had laughed after all.

"I know where we are now," Kaoru spoke.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, this time I really do know where we are." He pulled Hikaru closer to him on his back, trying to transfer what body heat he had left to his nearly unconscious brother. "But, we're still not near the main lodge…" He pointed to a near exact replica of their destination. "Here."

It was much smaller and older than the main lodge, but at least it would get them out of the wind and cold. The younger twin pressed his face against one of the windows on the door, and then pushed on it. Luckily, the lock that should have secured the door had ceased working long ago.

"Perfect! You two can stay here and I'll go get help." The conscious twin smiled, wandering into the dark building. He flicked the lights up and down, testing them, then moved further in once he confirmed the lack of electricity.

"Kaoru…" Haruhi opened her mouth to protest.

He shifted slightly under the young girl's intent gaze. "I need you to watch him, Haruhi. We're all tired, especially you and Hikaru. Since I have a little more energy I'm going to go get help. There's no other choice."

"How much further is it to the main lodge?" She asked.

Kaoru began to fidget once more. Instead of answering, his attention turned onto his now dozing brother. "Hikaru, stay awake!"

His diversion was the only answer she needed.

"I'm not letting you leave. You'll die out there."

"But…" Kaoru tried again.

"As you said, we're all tired, Kaoru. And you used most of your energy earlier to save and carry Hikaru this far. If you walk out there in your state it's likely you won't come back."

Kaoru was silent, his back to Haruhi as he lay his brother gently on a nearby couch.

"I have to try. No one's going to find us if we just wait. That would be fine if it were just me and you, but Hikaru isn't in a condition where I'm willing to risk that." He stood, facing the brunette. His cold hands slipped around hers, and he squeezed them lightly. "I have to go. Please watch my brother, Haruhi."

The brunette slowly nodded. Her hands clenched tighter around his, but she could do nothing more to stop him. She watched him through the window until he disappeared over a large hill and then turned back to Hikaru. She was surprised to see that he was coherent enough to lift his body, and watch Kaoru's fading form, too.

"He'll be back, Hikaru." Hikaru's eyes shifted to hers, then back to the area Kaoru had once been.

"I guess we should find a way to get warm," she mumbled, more to herself than Hikaru.

The main lodge had a fireplace, maybe this one did too. Upon closer inspection, she noticed that they indeed had a fireplace, but no firewood. Plus, even if there were firewood, how would she start it? That plan was out.

Blanket? The closet had two functional blankets, at least. Functional meaning they would work to keep them warm, but they were dusty and the strange droppings on it did nothing to ease her mind. Functional was the main point though, as long as they worked. She would just have to clean them…somehow.

Haruhi grabbed a blanket, but dropped it soon after realizing a hungry something had made the blanket its meal. The next one, however, seemed fine enough after being shaken out.

She made her way back to Hikaru, and after removing her wet coat and snow pants, pressed her body against his underneath the warmth of the blanket. He all too happily moved closer to share her heat.

For a while, they sat in silence, with only the sound of Hikaru's quick, shallow breaths and his chattering teeth. It was scary, but at least that was a sign his body was still fighting.

"Hikaru?" His eyes remained closed. She watched with a deep frown as he struggled to pull numb arms close to hug himself. Haruhi's body enveloped his in a tight hug, and together they sat, shivering in the cold, holding onto each other.

"Hikaru?" she tried again. This time his head lifted ever so slightly in response, a small sign, if any, that he was listening. "Are you…are you still cold?"

As if his shivering wasn't sign enough…

"Nuh…umb" he slurred.

This was enough to send Haruhi into action. Taking off her bulky gloves, she lifted Hikaru into a semi-sitting position and slowly convinced her fingers to pull down his jacket zipper.

Hikaru's eyes groggily slid open to watch her. "Don't…"

His weak protest fell on her burning ears. He knew what she was getting at. "I have to, Hikaru. Your clothes are too wet."

"I'm…fine…" The blue tint to his lips spoke otherwise.

Clumsy fingers continued to slide layer by layer of the boy's wet, soppy, and crystallizing clothing off. With each layer removed, Haruhi's face grew darker in color until eventually she stopped all movements. He was bare-chested now with only boxers and her hat she had traded with him, but by his silence she doubted he was capable of caring much anymore.

To remove or not remove?

Haruhi lifted her eyes to the ceiling, and hooked two thumbs into the waistband of his boxers. In one swift movement they were removed and thrown into a pile on the floor. Eyes still to the ceiling, she leaned her body against his, interlacing their legs to draw the frozen boy closer still.

"Feels nice…" Hikaru tugged Haruhi closer embracing the warmth she emanated. "We should…more often…"

The brunette buried her face in the crook of his neck and remained silent, a poor attempt at hiding herself. We should do this more often? If he thought she was going to strip him naked and cuddle with him again in the future he was mistaken, maybe the ice was freezing the logical side of his brain.

They sat comfortably, until Hikaru broke the silence.

"My boxers are gone," Hikaru's hands moved down, causing Haruhi to jump back slightly in surprise.

She nodded. "Yes, they are."

That was a good sign. At least he was beginning to notice obvious things such as that.

"You're trying to take advantage of me aren't you?" He turned to her, and if she wasn't mistaken, a spark of something flashed in his tired eyes.

She tensed. "No, I'm not."

"I would have," Hikaru said. The sluggishness with which he spoke was the only reminder that he was sick. Otherwise he may have gotten his second slap from her of the year.

"Hikaru…" Haruhi warned.

And yet he continued still. "Because I've never seen a girl's body before. It'd be a chance to—"

She cut him off before he could even finish his ridiculous sentence. "Stop talking, Hikaru."

"Stop taking advantage of me," he shot back.

"I already told you I'm not!"

"But I want you to."

"Please, stop talking," Haruhi groaned, slapping a hand over her face in frustration. If only Kaoru were here. He could deal with his own brother's perverted thoughts.

The couch they sat on sank low on Hikaru's side; almost causing Haruhi to tip over, and then she could feel a rather annoying presence breathe heavily near her face.

When he didn't move, she gave in to her curiosity. "What are you trying to do?"

"Kiss you," he answered with a tone that asked if she was an idiot.

Haruhi was silent. At least she was learning his true persona: a horny teenage male. Were the other host club members this perverted as well? Or maybe the heat was defrosting Hikaru's brain in a way that told him no clothes meant a golden opportunity to lose his virginity. At least…she suspected neither of the twins had lost it yet…

"If you don't stop, I'll go to the couch over there." She pointed to another couch halfway across the room.

"Don't!" Hikaru pulled her closer to his body, the panic clear in his voice. "I'll be cold again. Don't leave. I'll stop."

"Good, because I know you're feeling better, and I know that you know exactly what you're doing, Hikaru," Haruhi said rather bluntly. Hikaru's face exploded into a bright red, and he flew to the other side of the couch as fast as his body would allow.

"I wasn't sure at first," the girl explained, "but your hesitation in kissing me gave it away. " Her eyes watched as Hikaru attempted to sink into his side of the couch. She wasn't sure if the goose bumps forming on his bare arms were out of cold, or of fear of being figured out. "You were unsure of yourself, meaning you're thinking clearly again."

The elder twin remained silent, and turned his burning face away.

"You've never hesitated before when you were picking on sempai though…I wonder if you really aren't in your right mind yet."

"I am…" he mumbled, fidgeting.

She paused in thought. "Then why…"

"Those never meant anything, Haruhi," Hikaru snapped. He scooted closer to her, and gently lifted her chin, forcing her eyes to lock with his. Although his eyes burned with a new-found confidence, his shaking hands told otherwise. "Which is why I wanted to get one that did, just like Kaoru and Tono."

"What…Kaoru and sempai…?" Haruhi babbled. The warmth of soft lips pressing against hers halted all other words her mind could possibly conjure, leaving no time to combine all of the new concepts being thrown at her.

Hikaru broke the kiss, and smiled down at her. "I like you, Haruhi."

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**An update~ Although I said this was supposed to be a 2 shot it looks like it might go further, although I'm still tempted to just leave it open and as is. My beta(Liquidity) however says otherwise. She may harm me if I don't continue so you can look forward to another chapter on this later on. As always, comments and critique are welcome!**

**Note: I wandered from the medical path a bit during the fic. Not everything is accurate although I did research so that I could stay close to accurate in the parts that really mattered to me.**


	3. Chapter 3

**DOES NOT OWNINGS OF OURAN!**

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"So, I heard you two had fun after I went to go get help," Kaoru winked, walking into the rather bright hospital room his brother resided in after his accident.

Thankfully, Kaoru had managed to get back to alert everyone. It didn't take long for the paramedics to find the two teens cuddled on a couch next to each other, one fully dressed, while the other was completely bare.

"I'm surprised you had the energy," he continued.

"Nothing happened! She was just helping me get warm!" Hikaru snapped. He gave his playful brother a disgusted glare of warning, but from his reclined position in his hospital bed he was far off from intimidating anyone. Although Hikaru looked healthier than the last time Kaoru saw him, he seemed uncomfortable and fidgety, especially after his brother's words of greeting.

"Oh?" The smile never wavered from Kaoru's face, in fact Hikaru's words made it shine even brighter. Kaoru sat on the bed next to Hikaru, prodding his side jokingly.

"Nothing happened!" Hikaru repeated, slapping the hand away. His voice rose in volume, and Kaoru had to put a quick hand over his brother's mouth to calm him down and muffle the noise. Thankfully with so much else going on in the hospital the nurses were able to overlook the excited outburst in the room.

"I was joking, Hikaru. I only wanted to see how you were doing," he said, going down to a volume he hoped Hikaru would imitate. "They said you were fine, but since you need your rest only family are allowed in."

Hikaru's shoulders slumped, "Really?"

"Are you disappointed that I came? Or that the doctors said that you're fine?" Kaoru's brow rose. He wasn't honestly curious about his questions. More so he was concerned about what was really bothering his older brother. Ever since he had mentioned Haruhi, Kaoru noticed that his brother looked expectantly to the door or to the phone outline in his pocket. His own had been destroyed by his plunge into the frigid ice water.

Hikaru straightened after realizing his mistake. "N-no, I just didn't think I was that bad. There's no reason the club can't visit."

"You mean Haruhi, right?" Kaoru spoke bluntly.

Hikaru tensed, then sighed, releasing the built up emotion from the day's events. "I told her I liked her."

This caused Kaoru's eyes to widen, and he leaned forward curiously. "And?"

"She said…"

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_"That's nice, Hikaru," Haruhi said, pushing away from the boy who'd just opened his heart to her._

_"Nice?" Hikaru repeated, confused. "Only nice? I mean I like you more than just a friend, you know? I don't want you to confuse my words like you did that Arai guy."_

_Haruhi's hand found Hikaru's face, and slowly down to his upper chest. Hikaru stiffened, pulling the covers higher up on his body. "Your temperature is still a little low it seems…" The girl spoke, removing her hands._

_"T-that's what you were doing?" he asked. Her nod sent his blood into a boil. If his temperature was low before it certainly wasn't now. "Why won't you say anything? Why are you ignoring everything I just said?"_

_Haruhi looked down at the many interesting creases on her hand, then at the closet door she neglected to close when she got the blankets. She needed to do that._

_Her sudden unawareness of Hikaru's building frustration didn't go unnoticed however. "Haruhi, please say something."_

_"I wonder if Kaoru got back okay…" She responded, tapping her chin as she looked to the cabin door._

_"Kaoru!" Hikaru jumped up, nearly forgetting his lack of clothes. He blushed, and held tight onto the blanket so it wouldn't fall any lower to his waist than it already had from his stupidity._

_"You may feel better, Hikaru, but you're still hypothermic. Please keep the blanket around yourself," Haruhi sighed. Her scattered mind came back now that Hikaru was successfully diverted from concentrating on her reaction. Now, rather than pestering her, he looked longingly out the dusty cabin window._

_"I'm sure he's fine."_

_"No," Hikaru shook his head, only to regret it now that a headache began to form. She was right; he was still below par. "The main lodge isn't that far away! How long was I unconscious?"_

_"You were awake the entire time…" Haruhi clarified before moving to the real question. "Maybe…half an hour or more while we were in here. My watch stopped working, and I didn't think to check my cell while I was too worried about how you were doing." A panicked frown formed on Hikaru's features, signaling she had said the wrong thing. She moved to fix her mistake. "But you have to remember it takes time for emergency officials to be called and sent to find us."_

_Hikaru smiled weakly, and shuffled back over to the couch. "You're right. He's fine." That didn't stop his leg from tapping the floor impatiently._

_"For now, the best thing to do is wait," Haruhi announced, sitting beside him._

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"Then?" Kaoru asked.

"We fell asleep…" Hikaru said, dropping his head in defeat. "She's too smart, she knew mentioning you would throw me off."

"I was fine."

"But I didn't know that!"

Kaoru sighed, "Alright. I'm leaving. I just wanted to see for myself that you're okay."

Standing, he brushed himself off and turned for the door, much to Hikaru's disappointment. The bed-ridden boy huffed. "You're really leaving already? What a great brother you are."

Kaoru's hand paused at the doorknob. "I have homework, Hikaru."

"So do I."

"I know. I'll bring it next time I come." Finally the door was opened and Kaoru took a step out into the hall, but not before Hikaru could get in one last comment.

"Are you really that annoyed at me for thinking about you instead of confessing to Haruhi?" Hikaru asked, his voice soft. His fingers clutched at his bed sheets and his eyes bore holes through his twin.

"Yes and no." And with that the door closed.

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_You know how I always mention how I have things already done on my laptop and forget to post them...Well...Yeah..._

_But hey I posted right! Anyway we're not going to talk about just how long this was done *cough* as soon as the last chapter was up *cough* We're just going to rejoice that I stumbled upon it. ...Right? Please don't hurt me...I think they'll be one more chapter. I just don't know how to wrap it up which is why I didn't post this in the first place and it got forgotten. I also noticed that once I post once after a long time you guys get a FLOOD of updates.  
_

_As always I hope you enjoyed it. Review, leave comments, try not to hurt me for the long wait..._

_Huh...I managed to miss notes to myself in this upload...Duh-leet-te-tid  
_


	4. Chapter 4

**I don't own Ouran but this fic is mine. **

**Seriously, my fics aren't good enough to steal. Don't bother. Not that anyone has that I know of...Okay! No more rambling.**

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"Hika-chan's all better!" Hani bounced up to Hikaru, Bunbun in his arms and a wide smile on his face. Mori followed close behind, and not surprisingly he could see Tamaki bounding for him like a tornado on a destructive path.

"Don't scare me like that again! Do you know how many nights I went without sleep because my poor son lay ill in bed?" Tamaki sobbed on Hikaru's shoulder while both identical brothers gave each other bored glances.

Hikaru sighed. "I was only in the hospital for a day and a half Tono."

"But it felt so much longer!" Tamaki sobbed.

At this point Hikaru gave up trying to put sense into his upperclassmen friend's head. Any logic would just fly straight over it anyway. His eyes drift over and down to meet Haruhi's. Her face brightened slightly from its annoyed glare at her sempai to a warm smile for him. Hikaru felt his face grow hot. With a not so gentle push Tamaki was thrown back to watch with confusion as his friend sped away.

"Hikaru?" Kaoru questioned. Glancing back at the confused group, he gave an apologetic smile and ran after his brother until he jogged next to him. "Hikaru, what's wrong?"

"I kissed her," Hikaru mumbled. Saying the words out loud made the blush move to cover his ears as well. With a groan he hid his face in the palm of his hand.

"So talk to her about it," Kaoru suggested.

Hikaru turned a nervous frown on him and let his eyes cloud over with thought. He was in his right mind now so maybe she would believe him but there was the chance she still wouldn't. Plus, what if she rejected him? What if she preferred Kaoru instead, or Tono, or—

"Hikaru, it's not science. Just ask her. Geez, and people say I'm the one who over thinks things."

"I'm not over thinking!" Hikaru pumped his fists with a scowl on his face. "I'm just…being honest to myself. She would never choose me. I'm too annoying in her eyes. You're the 'calmer' one. She prefers being around you, right?" His body slumped. The hands that once moved with an angered vigor fell limp to his sides, his shoulders grew slack, and his face was turned down. He mumbled, "She probably wishes it were you in the lodge with her instead of me."

Kaoru's eyes widened and he held a cautious brother out to comfort his twin, only to have it slapped away. Hikaru rushed from his brother and into their classroom. The uncomfortable mood he'd set between them lingered all day. From Hikaru's distracted daze in class to his quiet doodling during lunch, neither spoke to the other. There were only glances, and even then Hikaru was the first to break any form of contact.

"Hikaru, you're being ridiculous," Kaoru said, gripping his brother's shoulders. He'd finally been able to corner him right before club. They stood in their dressing room where the younger twin forced his brother against the wall. "Talk to her and find out what she really thinks."

"I already know what she-" He was cut off when a fist collided with his cheek. Hikaru stared to the side, lost in a daze as his brain began to process what his brother had done. "What the hell..."

Slowly, Hikaru looked up to meet his twin's harsh glare. "Stop being an idiot. I'm tired of hearing you whine like a baby. If you want her that badly then you won't give her up to Tamaki or even to me." Hikaru straightened and stared at his angered brother with wide eyes. "If you don't go after her then I will. After all, I'm the 'nicer' twin. Maybe she really would prefer me instead of a hotheaded cry baby."

"What...?" Hikaru asked, gasping at the bitter words spilling from Kaoru's mouth. "Kaoru, why are you..."

Kaoru pushed him back hard and went to finish changing.

* * *

"Haruhi, can I host with you today?"

The girl glanced over at the younger twin and then went back to preparing the tea for hosting. "What about your act with Hikaru?"

"He told me he wants to try a new act alone. So I decided to let him," Kaoru lied. He smiled and leaned an arm on her shoulder. When Hikaru walked by he pressed himself closer to Haruhi and then entwined his fingers with hers.

"I can't make tea like this, Kaoru."

Kaoru sighed and let go, but only after Hikaru had moved further away. Haruhi gave her own sigh and began on her task once more. "You two are fighting again."

The boy stiffened and then pulled himself away to cross his arms over his chest. "It's not like that."

"Oh?" She picked up her fresh tray of tea. "You only do things like this when you're trying to get back at Hikaru. What is it about this time?" When she got no answer she turned to him. "Kaoru?"

"Sorry, I should stop getting you involved in our fights," he finally muttered. His gaze dropped guiltily to the floor. Kaoru circled her and soon Haruhi found herself being pulled into a hug from behind. "I'll leave you alone."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"Haruhi!" Hikaru marched up to her briskly and yanked Kaoru's collar back to pull him away. "I need to talk to you, and you," he snarled at his brother, "can go entertain the girls." He frowned when he noticed the smirk twitching at Kaoru's lips.

Kaoru held his hands up in defeat. "All right, I'm going. Don't get carried away like last time I left you two alone."

Hikaru's ears burned at the memory. "I'm-That-Kaoru!"

The embarrassed boy all but dragged his crush out into the hallway and away from his perverted other half. Except, now that he had her alone he couldn't think of what to say. Everything he'd practiced seemed to have been eaten by some kind of love hating monster, leaving him to gape at her waiting face. Said face soon fixed into an impatient frown.

"Hikaru if you have nothing to say I'm going back inside." She tapped her foot rapidly. "I can't have anymore money added to my debt just because you want to play games."

There was only more silence.

"I'm going."

As soon as she turned, Hikaru's body grew unbearably warm, and his heart pound so fast he swayed from the sudden spin his vision had taken on. "I don't care if you're a commoner!" he blurt.

Haruhi paused and then turned. Her eyebrow rose as her face transformed into one of curious confusion. "And I don't care that you're a rich bastard...?"

"N-No!" Hikaru began to pace and his hands became animated as they waved around, as if that would help him get his point across. "I mean I don't care that you're dirt poor and that you have no sense of fashion and don't know how to take care of your hair so that you don't go bald." He missed the disgusted frown forming on her once confused face. "I don't even care that you can be really boring sometimes."

"Hikaru..." she warned.

"Please go out with me so I can at least _try_ to show you I can be just as good of a boyfriend as Tamaki or Kaoru could be." He finished and took a deep, shaky, breath.

"Boyfriend?" She repeated softly.

"I don't want Tono and Kaoru to be the only people who get a chance with you. So please..." He stood tall, but he trembled in his spot.

The brunette could only stare at him openly in surprise. What he just said…that would mean that everything that happened that night wasn't her tired mind playing tricks on her. He really had kissed her and said all of those things. So, he really felt that way toward her? What was she supposed to say to something like this?

Finally, Hikaru melted. "Geez, don't think about it so much," he chuckled. "What am I supposed to think if it takes you that long to respond?" He poked her head, and tapped lightly to emphasize his next words. "Just…keep it in the back of your head, okay? But, even if you say no, don't expect me to stop trying my hardest to change your mind."

Haruhi rubbed where he'd tapped her head, and slowly met his gaze. "Don't worry, I don't think that'll be necessary."

* * *

_...My first chaptered story...to be completed...It's complete...I'm done...Holy shit...Sorry, I think I'm in shock. _

_Anyway, this is the end! I left it open so you guys can interpret that last sentence however you like. I'm not going to say answer any questions on what it means so don't even try~ I will however take any comments you have about this! The ending isn't that great to be honest, probably because I've never really ended a multi-chapter fic. This is kinda new to me. Also, sorry that I keep switching up the spelling of Hunny/Hani/whatever the hell else people use, I can't decide what I want.  
_

_As always, drop me a line via PM or review. I love hearing from you guys~_


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